Hailey Lanford
About the Poet
Born on June 11th, 1998, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Hailey Lanford graduated from The George Washington University in 2022 with a Bachelors of Arts in English. An avid reader, poet, and coffee-drinker, she is known for her lyrical narration, dreamy poetry, and meticulous word choice. Blending childhood memories together with adult perception, Lanford allows elements of enjambement and alliteration to create playful banter between the reader and herself. She has done editorial work within the academic space at SAGE Publishing, supported the work of local artists within social justice spaces at Justice Arts Coalition, was a Young Poet in the Community Fellow under 2021-2022 Virginia Poet Laureate Luisa Igloria, has helped host two In The Company of Laureates programs, and is currently working as a customer experience associate at Tuckernuck in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Her experience with poetry was promoted and fostered the most during her high school years, though she had plenty of encouragement growing up. She graduated from Woodbridge Senior High School with an additional Fine Arts diploma that concentrated in Creative Writing. During this time, she was one of the editor-in-chiefs of her school’s literary magazine, EDDAS, encouraged students to get involved in showcasing their talents at the monthly school coffee house open mic nights, and helped to teach a few workshops as well. Her paternal grandmother wrote poetry as well, and the gene seems to have passed down to Lanford, as she fell more in love with the creation and sharing of poetry over time.
Region
Northern
Virginia City or County Affiliation
Arlington/Prince William
Years of Residence in Virginia
13
Current City/State of Residence
Arlington
Gender
Female
Race/Ethnicity
Black or African American
Year of Birth
1998
Keywords/Tags
femininity, race, body, nature
Published Works or Performances
Lanford has been published in literary magazines and anthologies and has shared performances of her poetry over the years. Most notably, her poem Full Woman, can be found on page 67 of the Northern Virginia Community College, or NVCC, literary magazine, Calliope.
This piece is a favorite among many and is one of the most requested to be performed. Other pieces, such as Soft Apples and Rooted, can be found in the Spring 2022 issue of The George Washington University’s literary magazine, Capitol Letters on pages 48 and 59.
These poems encapsulate the areas most defining of Lanford’s upbringing – femininity, bodily autonomy, and nature. Additionally, Lanford is featured in numerous editions of the Woodbridge Senior High School EDDAS literary magazine, where she began her journey. She is currently actively sending in her work for publication whenever the opportunity arises and hopes to be able to step further into the Virginia poetry scene with time.
Selected Individual Poems or Performances
Full Woman - Calliope, 2019 pg. 67
Soft Apples - Capitol Letters, 2022 pg. 48
Rooted - Capitol Letters, 2022 pg. 59
Hailey Lanford